14:00 – 14:10

Introduction 

Moderator 主持人: 

Prof. Joyce C.H. Liu 劉紀蕙 教授｜ICCS-NYCU 國立陽明交通大學文化研究國際中心主任

14:10 – 14:30

Online Scam Crime and Human Trafficking—Example of Taiwan

網路詐騙犯罪與人口販運—台灣的案例

Alicia Chen 陳映妤｜Independent journalist 獨立記者

Beginning in the latter half of 2021, a significant number of Taiwanese nationals were enticed by high-paying jobs into Cambodian scam rings where they endured detention, physical abuse, resale, and various forms of enslavement. According to a rough estimate by Taiwan’s National Police Agency, there were likely thousands of victims. Why were these Taiwanese young people flocking to Cambodia in droves during that time? How did a seemingly promising journey turn into a nightmare for them? What challenges did the Taiwanese government face in cracking down on this transnational scam crime and human trafficking? This presentation aims to unravel the motivations behind the significant influx of Taiwanese youth to Cambodia and explore the aftermath of their falling prey to traffickers and scammers. We will also examine the roles played by the Taiwanese government, civil organizations, and criminal groups within this multifaceted context.

14:30 - 15:00 

Untangling The Hidden Recruitment System of The Southeast Asian Scamming Compounds Fueled by Human Trafficking 

揭露由人口販運驅動的東南亞詐騙園區隱密聘雇體系

Mina Chiang 江玉敏｜Founder and Director of Humanity Research Consultancy 英國憫研顧問創辦人 

Scamming compounds, operated with forced labor and victims of modern slavery, have been emerging across Southeast Asia, particularly in Cambodia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Laos. While these compounds are located in Southeast Asia, the criminal masterminds behind these operations primarily originate from Chinese-speaking regions, including China, Taiwan, and Malaysia. Victims of forced labor and slavery, on the other hand, hail from more than 20 countries worldwide, reaching as far as East Africa and Latin America. According to a recent UN report, the number of people involved in this type of criminal activity related to scamming compounds fueled by human trafficking is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands.

How did these criminals manage to recruit other criminals, and what communication platforms have they used to achieve their goals? Simultaneously, how did these criminals manage to recruit innocent victims from countries far away? What roles are different nationalities of victims being forced to undertake? This presentation will provide an explanation and delve into the intricate criminal networks and the recruitment systems behind the unprecedented scale of emerging human trafficking in the transnational criminal network witnessed within the scamming compounds in Southeast Asia.

15:00 - 15:30

(Taipei Time)

Social Media and Human Trafficking: Evidence from the Philippines

社交媒體與人口販運：來自菲律賓的證據

Jorge Villamor Tigno【Online】｜Professor at the Department of Political Science at the University of the Philippines, Diliman 菲律賓大學迪里曼分校社會科學院教授

Jean Encinas-Franco【Online】｜Professor and Assistant Chair of the Department of Political Science, University of the Philippines, Diliman 菲律賓大學迪里曼分校社會科學院教授

Human trafficking is a deeply concerning and pervasive issue that plagues the Philippines. This illicit trade preys upon the vulnerable, exploiting their desperation for a better life or sheer survival. Human trafficking in the country is underpinned by a long-standing government program to export Filipino labor. Recent developments, however, have transformed human trafficking activities in the country. Social media networks have now added a layer of dangerous complexity and efficacy to the human trafficking problem. Social media has become the new modus operandi for recruitment and deployment by traffickers.

This paper presents cases of Filipinos being recruited through social media, making it harder for authorities to detect and apprehend traffickers. Clearly, illegal recruiters are taking advantage of the Digital Report 2023 data, which indicates that 72 percent of Filipinos have social media accounts, providing a large pool of potential victims.

The paper also highlights the evolving methods through which trafficking victims are exploited. Rather than being forced or tricked into sex work, victims are now coerced or deceived into engaging in illegal activities associated with professional crime syndicates, such as call center scams. This changing character of human trafficking demonstrates the creativity of traffickers and the desperation of many Filipinos who simply seek a better life for themselves and their families. Given this situation, the paper argues that the government must keep pace with the evolving nature of recruitment to craft effective interventions aimed at preventing trafficking.

15:30 - 16:00

(Taipei Time)

Regional CSO Advocacy towards the Development of ASEAN Guideline on the Placement and Protection of Migrant Fishers

區域公民社會組織倡導制定東盟關於移民漁工安置與保護的準則

Daniel Awigra【Online】｜Executive Director of Indonesia’s NGO Coalition for International Human Rights Advocacy 國際人權倡議-印尼非政府組織聯盟執行主任

Following the adoption of the ASEAN Declaration on the Placement and Protection of Migrant Fishers, made on the occasion of the 42nd ASEAN Summit in May 2023, in which the ASEAN Member States committed themselves “to mobilise resources for the implementation of this Declaration and develop an ASEAN Guidelines on the Placement and Protection of Migrant Fishers,” a regional civil society consultation held in Jakarta in August 2023, concluded that the proposed Guidelines need to articulate strongly the vulnerability of workers in the fishing industry, especially those who are migrant, and should include provisions to ensure prevention of rights violations, protection, and effective remedies for migrant fishers. Therefore, this paper highlights the regional civil society’s proposal to further advocate the regional norms setting development in addressing the important contribution of migrant fishers and dealing with their vulnerabilities. It then makes specific recommendations on provisions to be considered in developing the Guidelines.

16:00 - 17:00 

Discussion